Land-roller.



J. WISSLBR.

LAND ROLLER. AP'PIJIOATION rum) 11.25, 1911.

1,004,719. Patented 001. 3, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses Inventor Atto rneys JACOB WISSLER, 0F LYNDHURST, VIRGINIA.

LAND-ROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 25, 1911.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Serial No. 623.264.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J Acon'wissnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lyndhurst, in the county of Augusta and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Land-Roller, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to land rollers and its object is to provide a motor propelled device of this type capable of use as a tractor for drawing barrows, drills, etc., and which sections being loosely mounted on a shaft extending through all of them and whereby a the said roller can be readily turned for the position upon the mac me.

purpose of steering the machine.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description roceeds, the invention resides in the comination and arrangement of parts and in the, details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without de arting from the spirit of the invention.

11 the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has een shown. In said drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevat-ion thereof, a cane y beirlig shown in ig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of one of the propolling rollers, a portion of said roller bemg broken away to show the shafts therein and one of the positions of the roller, when passin over an irregular surface, being indicate by dotted lines. Fig. 4. is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of the steering roller.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates a frame made u of any preferred-arrangement of longitu inal and cross beams and arran ed at the center of this frame adjacent the ront end thereof is an upstanding stem 2 having a yoke 3 at its lower end andwithin which a shaft 4 is journaled. This shaft extends through a series of roller sections 5, three of these sections being shown in the present instance. The middle one of the sections is kc ed or otherwise secured to the shaft, as i icated at 6 while the other sections are loose on the shaft. A steering lever 7 extends rearwardl-y from the upper end of the stem 2 and to a point where it can be conveniently reached by the operator occupying a seat 8 arranged at the back end of the framel.

Extending upwardly from the rear POP' tibn of the frame 1 and between the seat 8 and each side of the frame is a pair of standards 9 connected, adjacent their :upper ends, by a bearing pin 10 extending in the disco tion of the length of the machine. standards 9 are mounted on transverse frame members 11 and 12 and each pair of standards is equidistant from two sets of hangers 13 secured to and extending downwardly from the beams 11 and 12. Theselian are arranged in pairs and constitute guides for trunnions 14 extendingfrom the ends of rollers 15. These trunnions are preferably formed b extending a shaft through a roller an hailing its ends project beyond the ends of said roller, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3, said shaft being keyed or other-- wise secured to the roller, as shown at 16. These trunnions are journaled within the ends of a yoke 17 which is slidably mounted between the frame members or beams Hand 12 and extends u wardly to the adjacent bearing pin 10, t e crown port-ion of the yoke having an angular depression or seat 18 in which the bearing in 18 mounted. It wiil thus be seen that te entire wei ht of the rear portion of the machine is app ied to the yoke 17 by the pins 10 and is thus transmitted to the rollers 15. Said rollers, how-- faver, are fr e to shift laterally relative W The i jacent opposite sides of the frame.

, coupling this car to the she tral roller section opposite directions.

by s ightly greater draft and of the machine may the frame by moving about the bearin pins 10 as centcrs, and as indicated b ful and dotted lines in Fig. 3. Each sha t 14 has a sprocket 19 secured thereto, said sprocket receiving motion, through a chain 20, from a sprocket 21 secured to a drive shaft 22. This shaft is journaled upon the frame 1 and one of these shafts is-provided for each roller 15, the two shafts being preferablydisposed in alinement and being located ad- A gear. 23 is loosely mounted on each shaft 22 and a friction clutch 24 is preferablfy utilized for t, said clutch being operate by a lever 25 extending close to the seat 8. Each gear 23 meshes with another gear 26 connected to the shaft 27 of a motor 28, one motor being provided adjacent each shaft 22. a

In u the machine the two clutches 24 are first disengaged from the cars 23 after which the motors 28 are started and gears 23 will therefore be rotated freely upon their shafts 22. By simultaneously shifting the levers 25, both clutches 24 can be brought into cnga ment with the gears 23 and power wil therefore be transmitted from the motors to the rollers 15 and these rollers will r .opel the machine forwardly or rearwarrfl according to the direction in which the aft-s 22 are operated. During the travel of the machine the same can be readily steered by means of lever 7, the cen- 5 being readil movable about-the'longitudinal axis of the stem 2 for the reason that the other roller sections ,are loosely mounted on the shaf 4 1 .id can therefore rotate at difierent speeds and in All of said sections, hovlfiver, 'operate efliciently to crush elods of ear in'the path thereof, the path covered this steeringroller being equal. to or than the distance between the propelling rollers 15. These last mentioned rollers arefree to tilt laterally as the machine moves over the ground, said rollers thus readily conforming to any irregularities in the contour of the surface of the ground. The chain drive utilized for transmitting motion to the rollers 15 is suiticiently flexible to permit this tilting movement of the rollers withoutcausing dis placement of the parts of the drivin mechanism." Whenever deemed desira lo the power applied to either one of the rollers 15 ean'be increased or diminished relative to that ap lied to the other roller, this being especial y desirable for overcomirjig side for facilitating the turning of the machine.

In order that the occupant or occupants be protected from the direct rays of the sun and from rain, :1 canopy 29 is preferably erected u on the frame 1 and, as shown in Fig. 2, this canopy can protect the mechanism thereon.

While the machine can be used as a land roller it is to be understood that it can also be employed for simultaneously rolling the ground and at the same time drawing harrows, drills or other agricultural machines thereafter. The machine can also be employ ed as a tractor for pulling plows.

1 hat is claimed is l. A machine of the class described including separately movable rollers, trunnions extending therefrom, okes supported by and upstanding from tile trunnions, a frame, bearing elements extending longitudinally of the frame and removably seated upon the yokes and'constituting pivots therefor, and a steering element support ing one end portion of the frame.

2. A machine of the class described including separately movable rollers having trunnions, yokes supported by said trunnions, a frame, means thereon for detachably engaging the yokes of the frame, said yokes being adapted to swing about said means in a vertical plane extending transversely of the frame, steering means supporting one end portion of the frame, and separate means upon the frame for driving the respective yoke supporting rollers.

3. The combination with a frame and depending guide hangers, of rollers having trunnions mounted to slide and rotate between the hangers, yokes carried by said trunnions and extending into the irume, means upon the frame for detachably en gaging the yokes to support one end portion of the frame, said yokes being adapted to swing about axes extending longitudinally of the frame, steering means for supporting one end portion of the frame, and means upon the frame for actuating the rollers.

4. frame, rollers uide hangers depending therefrom, aving trunnions mounted to slide and rotate between the guide hangers, yokes supported by the trunnions and. projecting into the frame, said frame having means for holding the yokes against swinging movement about axes extending transversely of the frame, longitudinally extendir g bearing elements carried by the rame and detachably seated upon the yolres to support one end of the frame, said yokes being adapted to swing about said elements as ivots, a steering element supporting one on portion of the frame, and means for propelling the yoke supporting rollers.

5. A machine of the class described including a frame, propelling rollers, a shaft extending through and secured to each roller, a yoke hearing at its ends upon the projecting end portions of the shafts, each yoke having a central depressed portion conto support one end portion stituting a seat, standards upon the frame, bearing elements secured to the standards and seated within said depressed ortions, separatemotors upon the frame, an flexible po'wer transmitting mechanism for transmitting motion from the motors to the shafts of the respective rollers.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature 1n the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB WISSLER.

Witnesses:

F. B. OOHSENREITER, M. E. GEEK. 

